Former York City midfielder moves on to hometown South Shields

Former York midfielder Phil Turnbull has left National League North rivals Darlington in favour of joining hometown club South Shields.

The 31-year-old made 127 appearances for Darlington since arriving from Gateshead – where he’d already totalled in excess of 350 senior games – three years ago.

He also had a period as joint caretaker manager with Gary Brown following current York boss Martin Gray departing the Quakers last October.

“Darlington has been fantastic for me, I wouldn’t have left if it wasn’t for South Shields, my hometown club,” Turnbull admitted to Darlington’s official website. “It’s the right decision for me and my family. I’ve loved every minute of my time at Darlington. The club is in a better place than when I arrived.”

Earlier in his career, Turnbull featured just three times during an injury-plagued spell with the Minstermen having arrived from Hartlepool United in July 2007.

A fractured shoulder meant he was unable to make his debut until the following January, and he was restricted to just a single start plus a couple of substitute appearances, while there had previously been a loan stay for him at Blyth Spartans.